Some of the most important issues in India today relate to contestations around environment, development and globalization. This page provides resources that will help you engage with such debates.
Journalistic Sources
- Down to EarthIndia's only science and environment fortnightly, Down to Earth critically covers the full range of issues related to the relations between humans and their environments. Print edition available in Ames Library of South Asia Quarto GE195.7.D69
- India Environment PortalDiscover over 400,000 contextual, curated, cross-tagged specialized research reports and government documents. The India Environment Portal employs a thesaurus of environmental and geographic terms and each topic is classified and sub-classified.
- India TogetherIndia Together is an electronic publication devoted to coverage of public affairs, policy, and development in India, providing news in proportion to the country's broad development experiences. India Together provides in-depth information & news on the issues that matter covering 15 major topics and over 15 states.
- IndiaSpendIndiaSpend utilises open data to analyse a range of issues with the broader objective of fostering better governance, transparency and accountability in the Indian government. They also operate Factchecker.in, a dedicated fact checking initiative that will examine statements and assertions made by those in public life for both accuracy and context.
- InfoChange IndiaInfoChange is an online archive of knowledge resources on social justice and sustainable development
in India. Last updated July 2017. - KafilaKafila is a team effort of concerned individuals – scholars, activists, writers, journalists – to create a space for critical engagement on a wide range of issues of the contemporary world.
- P. Sainath - Rural ReporterSainath is an award-winning reporter who has been covering rural India since 1993. His book Everybody Loves a Good Drought (Penguin India, 1996) has remained a non-fiction bestseller.
- People's Archive of Rural India (PARI)PARI is a living journal and an archive to capture the labor, languages, livelihoods, arts, crafts and many other aspects of rural India. The platform combines video, audio, still photography and print.
- SanhatiAims to provide a platform for evolving news, analyses, debates pertaining to the political economy of India and the world.
- Scroll.inScroll.in is an independent news, information, and entertainment venture, which aims to add critical perspectives to these stories through rigorous reporting, objective analyses, and expert commentary.
- The WireAn independent online news source publishing in English, Hindi, Marathi, and Urdu.
Government and International Organization web sites
- Districts of IndiaA Government of India portal designed to provide comprehensive, accurate, reliable and one-stop source for District-level information for all Districts of India.
- NGO DarpanA Government of India portal that includes a searchable database of Voluntary Organizations (VOs)/ Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), as well as schemes they might apply for.
- NITI AayogNITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs.
- UNDP: IndiaUNDP (United Nations Development Program) is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. Site is a rich source of information on programs, projects, and statistics.
- World Bank in IndiaThe World Bank is a major player in India, in terms of producing knowledge about development and in terms of promoting and funding particular programs and projects.
NGO and Movement sites
- Asian Centre for Human RightsFocus on India and the other countries of South Asia. A range of reports in .pdf format are available for download.
- Barefoot CollegeThe Barefoot College began in 1972 with the conviction that solutions to rural problems lie within the community. The College addresses problems of drinking water, girl education, health & sanitation, rural unemployment, income generation, electricity and power, as well as social awareness and the conservation of ecological systems in rural communities. Site has extensive documentation and links. The College benefits the poorest of the poor who have no alternatives.
- Centre for Equity StudiesCES’s flagship project is the India Exclusion Report, an annual study that examines access to public goods and the exclusion of vulnerable groups. CES runs action research projects for the urban homeless and survivors of communal violence. It looks to study and intervene in areas where the state has abdicated its responsibility and through research and action projects hold the state accountable.
- Centre for Policy ResearchThe Centre is a non-profit, independent institution dedicated to conducting research that contributes to a more robust public discourse about the structures and processes that shape life in India. Focus on Economic Policy; Environmental Law and Governance; International Relations and Security; Law, Regulation and the State; Urbanization
- Centre for Science and EnvironmentCentre for Science and Environment (CSE) is an independent, public interest organisation which aims to increase public awareness on issues at the intersection of science, technology, environment and development.
- Centre for Sustainable AgricultureCentre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) is a technology and policy research organization with a vision to make agriculture productive, environmentally/ecologically sensitive, and capable of preserving the social fabric of rural communities.
- Forest Rights Act: A Weapon of Democracy in the ForestsAcross the forested tracts of India, forest dwellers are struggling to protect their rights to the forests on which their lives depend. The Campaign for Survival and Dignity has constructed this website to report on and assist in this struggle.
- Friends of River NarmadaThe construction of large dams on the River Narmada in central India and its impact on millions of people living in the river valley has been one of the most important social issues in contemporary India. Through this website, the friends of the Narmada valley and its people hope to present the perspective of grassroots people's organizations on the issue. This website, not updated since 2010, serves as an archive of issues.
- Housing and Land Rights NetworkHousing and Land Rights Network (HLRN), India, works for the recognition, defence, promotion, and realisation of the human rights to adequate housing and land, which involves securing a safe and secure place for all individuals and communities, especially marginalized communities, to live in peace and dignity. HLRN was established in 1999 in New Delhi to address the growing need for research, education, and advocacy on housing and land rights in the region. A particular focus of our work is on promoting and protecting the equal rights of women to adequate housing, land, property and inheritance. HLRN aims to achieve its goals through advocacy, research, human rights education, and outreach through network building at local, national, and international levels.
- Hyderabad Urban LabProduces reports, training, video, maps, and more on a number of themes such as transit, housing, sanitation and gender in the urban context, focusing on the South Indian city of Hyderabad
- Ideas for IndiaIdeas for India (I4I) is an economics and policy portal that publishes evidence-based analysis and commentary on issues pertaining to growth and development in India.
- Independent People's Tribunal on the World Bank in IndiaDocuments a 2007 peoples tribunal on the actions of the World Bank Group in India
- India ResistsAn online platform for news and comment on ongoing struggles for dignity, justice, equality and sustainability in India.
- India Resource CenterIndia Resource Center works to support movements against corporate globalization in India. We provide timely information on transnational corporations to Indian movements.
- Indian Institute for Human SettlementsThe Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) is a national education institution committed to the equitable, sustainable and efficient transformation of Indian settlements. The IIHS Knowledge Gateway is a repository for all IIHS-based research, practice, and pedagogy, which aggregates the published and in-progress content at IIHS.
- International Campaign for Justice in BhopalOn the night of Dec. 2nd and 3rd, 1984, a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, began leaking 27 tons of the deadly gas methyl isocyanate. None of the six safety systems designed to contain such a leak were operational, allowing the gas to spread throughout the city of Bhopal. Half a million people were exposed to the gas and 20,000 have died to date as a result of their exposure. More than 120,000 people still suffer from ailments caused by the accident and the subsequent pollution at the plant site. This is the site of a campaign for justice for the people of Bhopal and to prevent future Bhopals.
- KalpavrikshKalpavriksh was established in 1979 and works on environmental awareness, campaigns, litigation, research, and other areas. The NGO has continued to participate in mass movements challenging the state and its policies, while episodically supporting elements of the state that have moved progressively on environmental and development fronts.
- MacroscanMacroScan is a website managed by the Economic Research Foundation, New Delhi, seeking to provide an alternative to conservative and mainstream positions in economics. It undertakes and disseminates analyses, by professional economists, of the Indian and global economy
- Manthan Adhyayan KendraManthan Adhyayan Kendra is a center to monitor, analyze and research water and energy related issues, with a special focus on the latest developments resulting from the liberalization, globalization and privatization of the economy in India.
- ShikshantarShikshantar is an applied research institute that works with educational systems to facilitate self-reliant development throughout India. This work derives from Gandhian concepts of swaraj (freedom) and the education appropriate to the country. Site has extensive documentation and links.
- Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA)International nonprofit organization based in New Delhi for learning and promotion of participation and democratic governance, promoting initiatives for the empowerment and development of the poor, marginalised and weaker sections of the society. Pria utilizes and documents participatory research and people centered development in areas such as civil society and participatory development, local self governance, environmentally sustainable industrial development and women and marginalised sections of society. The site includes abstracts of publications, newsletter "Pria news" (.pdf, .html; archived since July 2000) and annual reports since 2001.
- Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and InstitutionsSRISTI is a non-governmental organization set up to strengthen the creativity of grassroots inventors, innovators and ecopreneurs engaged in conserving biodiversity and developing eco-friendly solutions to local problems. On this site, you can read about its activities and participate in them, download its newsletter and research papers and more.
- South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP)SANDRP is an informal network of organizations and individuals working on issues related with water sector. SANDRP's areas of interest include all issues related with water sector, with special focus on issues associated with large dams, mostly in India but including South Asia regional issues.
Blogs
- Nandini SundarSundar is a Professor, Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics.
- RaiotRaiot is a webzine from Meghalaya,
Last Updated: Sep 13, 2024 9:40 AM
URL: https://libguides.umn.edu/india_contested_development